


Comfort

by keylimepie



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 17:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13171836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimepie/pseuds/keylimepie
Summary: A moment from the first night Nico spends in the infirmary. There's crying, comfort, an emotional conversation, and things are revealed.





	Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe it's a one-shot, maybe I'll flesh out the full obligatory 'three days' fic, who knows.

Nico woke up, disoriented but feeling content somehow. Safe? Warm? He was in a decent bed and a thick blanket covered him. It was dimly lit and quiet, there was a clean smell, and he was surrounded by other beds, though they were all empty. Ah. The infirmary. Now he remembered. He’d come in here yesterday, when Will Solace… a warm feeling blossomed in his chest as he remembered Will leading him here, assessing him, spending most of the previous day treating him though Will must’ve been exhausted himself. Nico hoped the healer was getting some rest now, too. 

It seemed to be somewhere in the early hours of the morning. It was full dark outside, though the window was not in a position to see the moon or the stars very well. Nico stretched. He felt a vague urge to pee, perhaps that was why he’d woken up. He turned up his nose at the plastic bottle that had been provided near the bed. There was no way he was presenting Solace with a jug of urine in the morning. Nico peeled back the blankets and swung his legs out, grimacing at the peach-colored pajama pants that the infirmary had issued him. He padded across the floor cautiously. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but he didn’t really think he was poorly enough to be unable to walk to the restroom. 

He used the restroom and stepped back out into the hallway. Nico suspected that he had a few more hours and little need to sleep, and he thought it might be wise to grab a few books or magazines from the tables near the infirmary entrance and amuse himself until dawn. Surely some annoying child of Apollo would be around at dawn to poke at him and ask him questions and feed him, and that would at least be entertaining in a way. 

His bare feet moving silently over the hallway tiles, he was halfway to the front entrance when he heard the sound of someone crying from just inside a nearby doorway. Was that a private treatment room? Was there another patient here who was in need of help? The sobbing was brokenhearted, some poor sap was really crying their heart out, and it tugged at Nico oddly. He decided to peek in and see what was going on. 

It took Nico a moment to register what he was seeing. Will Solace was in one of the scratchy old blue armchairs, his knees drawn up and his arms hugging around them, his face buried. His whole body was rocking back and forth with sobs. Solace was the one who was crying? Nico’s heart constricted in his chest, then formed an aching lump in his throat. He didn’t stop to think; he padded over to the other boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” he whispered gently. “Will.” 

Will looked up, startled. His face was all blotchy and wet and his eyes were red-rimmed. He grappled for a tissue on the desk next to him. “Nico! S-sorry. Why are you- do you feel okay? You should be r-resting,” Will wiped his face, and then studied Nico carefully. 

“‘M fine. More worried about you… what’s wrong, Will?” 

“I... “ Will began, then sniffled. He shifted into the corner of the chair and patted the other side. The armchair wasn’t overly large, but Nico sat warily on the arm. “I guess I let a lot of stuff bottle up, and… it’s been an intense few days, you know? I feel like a teakettle that just went off.” 

“Guess that’s one way of letting off steam,” said Nico. Will made a noise that was halfway between a giggle and a hiccup, and a smile played at his lips. “Hitting something would be another, though I guess that’s not really your style.” 

“Oh no, I did that earlier too,” Will said, gesturing sheepishly to a slightly dented metal supply cabinet in the corner. Nico glanced at it, then around the room, which he’d started to realize was Will’s office. The desk was hopelessly cluttered but the bookshelves behind it were neat. Most of the posters on the wall were medical diagrams, but there was a small one behind the desk of a pretty blonde lady with a microphone, wearing a skimpy tank top and short shorts with matching pink cowboy boots and hat. Nico felt an odd twinge of jealousy until he read the large gold lettering across the bottom, Naomi Solace. In the corner in sharpie was written “For my Will, <3 Mama.” Nico filed this away in his brain as curious things about Will. 

Will shifted in the seat a little and picked up Nico’s hand. Nico held his breath as Will turned it over and scrutinized his skin, afraid that his pounding heart would give him away. “You’re looking good. I mean. Solid. Alive. I think as long as you continue to let me take care of you, you’re out of the woods.” He lifted his gaze and their eyes met, and oh gods, they were so blue. Nico had to look away. He stared at his hand as if trying to see what Will saw in it. 

“Thanks, I do feel better,” he managed to get out in what sounded like a normal voice. “I mean… thank you. You have been. So kind, and,” Nico took a deep breath. “I can never thank you enough. Without you, I would be dead right now.” Nico thought back to that moment when he’d decided that his own death wouldn’t matter if he could just take Octavian out, and Will had appeared at the last second and saved his life. He lifted his eyes and looked into Will’s again, and saw the anguish there. “Will?” 

“Gods Nico, I…” He grabbed another handful of tissues as the waterworks started again. “I was so scared when I realized that you had almost… I might’ve never seen you again!” 

Nico almost scoffed, but caught himself just in time. “You’re crying because you thought I almost died?” he asked in what he hoped was a neutral tone. It seemed stupid that Will would be so distressed over that, but he didn’t want to screw up and make fun of him, either. 

“That’s... a big part of it. I just keep playing it, over and over. You so shadowy… what Reyna and Coach told me about how they almost lost you… and I’m guessing there’s way more that I don’t know about.” 

“Most of us had some really close calls on that quest, Will. I was in no more danger than anyone else.” 

“Yeah, I guess,” Will sighed. “Still, I… Nico, I meant what I said about you having people here who want you to stay around very much. I’m sorry I was so angry about it, but I was really scared for you for a long time. I always hoped you’d come back,” he added in a small voice. 

Nico breathed in unsteadily. He stared at his hands, too afraid to look at Will again. He couldn’t believe that Will wanted so badly to be his friend. They’d barely known each other and Nico had never imagined that the gentle healer would have given him a second thought. Tears gathered in his eyes again and he touched his cheek. Was he really crying because Solace wanted to be his friend? 

“You’re… you’re a friend worth staying for. I just hope that you’re right and that you’re not the only one that wants me here.” 

Will shifted again, stretching his legs out in front of him and bumping his hip into Nico’s. Sweet Hera, he was warm! And now he was patting Nico’s knee absently; it was too much. But then Will stood up. “Let’s get you tucked in again. I’d feel better if you got some more rest.” 

“Right back at you, Sunshine Boy,” Nico retorted. “Do you ever sleep?” 

“I was sleeping for a while, I think,” Will said, gesturing to the chair. 

“Shouldn’t you sleep in a bed, not a chair? Doesn’t sound very healthy, especially when you have to fold yourself five times to fit.” 

“Fine, I’ll crash out in a cot for a few hours,” Will conceded. He followed Nico back to the patient ward and crawled into one of the empty beds. Nico crawled back into his own assigned cot, pulling the covers up to his ears. 

“Sleep tight, Solace,” Nico said. 

“You too, Neeks,” drawled Will. 

“Neeks? Ugh, that might be worse than Death Boy.” 

Will laughed. “We’ll work on it. I’m sure I can come up with something to call you that you won’t object to.” 

“Nico,” said Nico. “Or di Angelo if the mood strikes you. Handy things, names.” 

“Mmm,” said Will noncommittally. “We’ll work on it, Lord of Darkness.” Will made an undignified squawk as the pillow that Nico lobbed at him landed on his face. He tucked it under his cheek and within moments the blond medic was snoring softly. Nico drifted back to sleep soon after, comforted by the other boy’s proximity. 


End file.
